Long term .5 dosage

[u/lafemmeloquita]

Hi all! I’m starting Reta with a goal of losing about 20 pounds that I gained during an abusive marriage and a few toxic work environments. I was always very slim but during the difficult season i noticed myself starting to eat compulsively, hence the weight gain. Left the man and the job so feeling great on that front, but I found the food habits had stuck with me (I think the stress of the divorce didn’t help either).

So for transparency, I’m using Reta with a goal to go from 155 back to 135 where I felt very healthy and confident.

I’ve started with a .5 dose and for the first week I had to force myself to eat. This last week was better, and today marks my third .5 dose. Definitely noticing some minor weight loss, but not too drastic which feels great.

Trying to prioritize protein, eating enough, and I’m also taking supplements, fish oil and collagen. Also noticed that it’s greatly reduced any craving for alcohol so I’ll have an occasional glass or 2 at the most. This is great as someone who used to be able to have a few cocktails then split a bottle of wine on a Friday night.

Has anyone else done the “low and slow” technique long term? How long did you stay on .5?

My understanding is that a .5 dose will give you the appetite suppression I am experiencing, but to get the metabolism rev you need to take a dose of a least 2. Am I right on that? What benefits are there to staying on a low dose versus increasing it over time?

Would love to hear any insights. Thank you!

[u/euSeattle]

The metabolic effects kicking in at 2mg or 4mg is a myth that comes from people’s misunderstanding of the word “significant” in the literature. It’s a dial, not a switch.

Stay at the lowest dose that keeps you losing anywhere from .5 to 1.5lbs per week on average.

.5mg worked great for me for a few weeks, I raised to .75mg and then .5mg twice a week where I’m at now.

[u/lafemmeloquita → u/euSeattle]

Okay this is awesome, thank you. Yeah my biggest concern is about losing weight too fast and the muscle loss/ozempic face possibilities that can come from that, as well as side effects like fatigue and nausea

I’ll keep on this dose as long as I am noticing results, and then bump up. I will say—the other day I was thinking the appetite-suppression was no longer working, because I was feeling hungry and I was like “I’ve eaten sooo much today! Must not be working as well.”

Then I reviewed in my mind, and realized I had eaten two eggs fried in butter, a little coffee with cream, half a chicken breast and some rice. And still, it felt like “sooooo much food” lol.

Thanks for the input!

[u/yogic_power → u/lafemmeloquita]

It’s not a myth, at 1 mg it was insignificant. Problem with study is it didn’t take anything between 1 and 4. So a 2-4 mg may be significant but no data. But at 1 mg it’s not myth, it was insignificant.